Air II: Yin and Yang
by DXM147
Summary: As the world reels from the devastating attack on Ba Sing Se by the Green Standard, Aang and Firelord Zuko converge on the place where they both learned to firebend. Sequel to Air: The Green Standard. Chapter 3: The Avatar and the Firelord.
1. Zuko Alone

This is a sequel to Air: The Green Standard. To get the most out of this story, I would recommend you read that story first.

* * *

Firelord Zuko sat alone in the Royal Palace's throne room, scribbling his signature on ordinances for massive shipments of food to be sent out across the world to aid in suffering areas. He sighed as one of his aides took the ordinance away, thinking that this now was his life. _No more adventures for you, Zuko. That is what responsible leaders must adhere to._

Zuko was now nineteen, ruler of all the Fire Nation, and ambassador to the Three Nations Union, a committee dedicated to conversation and peace in the world. The only nation not represented in the committee was the Air Nomads, and only because there was only one airbender left in the world. The Avatar was frequently there in the beginning, but after a year or so, Aang quit coming to the sessions and became somewhat of a hermit. He would always say to Zuko that he was trying to find answers to something, but when Zuko prodded further, Aang would drop the subject.

The Three Nations Union was also a herald for addressing several Fire Nation members on account of their war crimes. Many prison wardens, guards, and more specifically Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula, were sentenced to terms in Fire Nation prisons, the terms to be decided by the Three Nations. Zuko was the main advocate.

Zuko looked up and saw a messenger sprinting towards his throne. The man kneeled before the Firelord, breathing heavily. "Yes? You may repeat your message."

The messenger continued to kneel and look at the ground. "Your majesty, I regretfully bring the worst of news."

Zuko laughed. "What can be so terrible, now that the world is entering a time of universal peace?"

The messenger drew a breath. "Sire, what I am about to convey to you will be both a shock and a grievance. Your anger is legendary sire, and I do not wish to incur your wrath."

"I will not harm you, you have my word, but do what you came here to do."

"Firelord, your uncle is dead."

The messenger allowed himself a look up to see that Zuko was not furious, in fact, he buried his head in his hands, but not making a sound. He held his pose for a brief minute, and then raised his head. Both of his eyes were red, but one was because of tears, the other was because of the severe burn that stretched from his eye to his brow that he received from his father. "How did he die?"

"I am sorry, your majesty. Details are not known at the moment. He – "

"He was murdered!" shouted a voice in the entrance to the hall. There stood Aang, clothes barely hanging on to his frame.

The look in Zuko's eyes turned from hurt to anger. His lip turned up, his nostrils flared, candle tips licked at his fingertips. Fire erupted from his palm and jutted straight outward. The messenger cowered back towards Aang. Aang waterbended the liquid out of a nearby basin to relinquish the burning tapestries. Zuko breathed heavily.

Aang spoke first. "I was there. They're called the Green Standard Army, an anti-bending military that strikes without honor, in the dark places of the world. They use trickery and deceit to accomplish their goals, and they killed your uncle at Ba Sing Se."

Zuko coldly looked at the Avatar. "You were there then. Why didn't you stop them?"

"They are an army, Zuko. It was me and your uncle against an army."

"I am going to – I am going to declare war on this army…"

"You can't, they won't be anywhere where you can get to them."

"My uncle will be avenged."

"I fear that they really will end bending forever."

Zuko smirked. "What do you mean, end bending?"

"They kill the spirit animals that started bending, the ones that taught the humans in the first place. The earthbenders learned it from the badgermoles. As we speak, the last badgermole may already be dead." Aang took his stance and tried to move a decorative boulder that lay along the throne room wall. He imagined himself as a rock, sturdy and strong, but no matter how hard he tried, the boulder would not budge. Even for the Avatar, earthbending was dead. "I can't do it. And neither can any earthbender on the face of the earth. The culture is dead, do you understand?"

"Why does killing badgermoles end earthbending?"

"Because they are the link between the spirit world and neutral jing, the key to earthbending. Once that link is broken, the spirits won't let anyone earthbend."

Zuko finally understood the gravity of the situation. "Then for my uncle's sake and honor, let us thwart these bastard's plans."


	2. The Face Stealer

The last badgermole was corralled in a cage, set apart from the burning masses of his brethren. It smacked and clawed at the cage, but it was useless.

The Green Standard looked at the beast, the last of its kind. None showed emotion, the black slates of their faces unmoving. Genocide was not a sin, but a necessity, to acquire a greater enlightenment.

Komodo Soriake drew his blade and calmly walked over to the thrashing animal. He said an incantation to himself, then with purpose, stuck the blade into the Last.

The badgermole shrieked, then fell limp. The sword did not withdraw, but rather the cold steel began glowing hot with contact from the badgermole's heart. Komodo held the blade in it, twisting and contorting the blade after its heating. All of a sudden, Komodo's eyes went white, and the badgermole quit twitching.

Komodo opened his eyes. He was standing in a swampy area, with birds flying overhead. He rose to his feet, and began walking.

On the perimeter of his vision, Komodo saw a huge gnarly tree rising out of the rocks. Its branches looked evil, snaking their way around each other and coming to a point. He made his way to the base of the tree, but was surprised when he saw the back of a monkey resting on one of the knobby roots. He was even more surprised when it looked back at him with no face on his head.

Komodo climbed up a little higher and found a cave in the trunk of the tree. It was about a meter around, and he proceeded inside.

Inside, the cave was dark and dank. Komodo used his hand to feel along the wall and pressed on, deeper and deeper into the abyss. He turned a few times after he heard what he thought was a shuffling, but was disappointed when it turned out to be a pair of rats.

About ten minutes venturing into the tree, Komodo heard another scuffling. Except there were multiple things dragging across the floor, and a disgusting squeezing sound came from above him.

Komodo looked up and saw the face of the monkey outside, attached to a hideous, disgusting centipedal body. The monkey face screamed and rushed up to Komodo's face, but Komodo didn't even blink an eye, and stood his ground.

"Evening, Face-Stealer."

The monkey-face withdrew back into the centipede body and was replaced with the face of a beautiful young woman with jet-black hair. The voice did not match the face, though, which was deep and powerful. "You are educated, mortal, and unorthodox."

"I am the leader of the Green Standard Army, and we have researched on how to contact you, spirit Koh. We have killed the last badgermole, the original earthbenders, the founders of the neutral jing, and thus, I have been transported here, to you, the master of watching, waiting, pausing to strike."

The face of Koh changed again, to a harsh-looking man with a pointed beard and a wide nose. "And one that knows so much! It will be a real shame to take your face!"

"You want the same thing that I want, Koh. You want to punish man for worshipping other spirits other than you."

"It's true that I don't get as much credit that I deserve, but really, who am I to pass judgment on those who prefer the other, kinder spirits."

Koh rushed up to Komodo again, adorning the monkey face, yet Komodo was not fazed.

"I am the reincarnation of Komodo Soriake. Sticking a dagger in my side would still not cause me to flinch."

Koh backed off, "So I see."

"Humans have always been divided – those who can bend and those who can't. What has resulted from this is the lax nature of those who couldn't. Call it a form of resentment for those. They secretly hate the other group, who can unlock a spiritual gift. Then they resent the spirits for not giving it to them. They still fear them, but they hate them."

"And you want me to do what?"

"Koh, you are an insurance policy. We have already taken the steps to set up the eradication of bending. Frankly, it's in your best interest to help us."

"I am Koh! I do not interfere with mortal life unless their negligence angers me!"

"You need to punish those that do not honor the spirits. Level the playing field."

Koh snaked around Komodo with his long, bulky body.

"There are those spirits that would fight on the bending side, persuaded by reincarnations of the previous Avatars. We need you to be the advocate for the anti-bending moment."

"Again, I do not see what is in this deal for me."

"Humans and the spirits will be totally separate from each other. Without bending, mortals will not be able to tap into the limitless energy that is the spirit world. No longer would the spirits, including yourself, have to deal with mortals. They would be on their own. The ultimate punishment for the ultimate betrayal."

"I am one of the oldest and most knowledgeable spirits. What makes you think that I delight in punishment?"

"You punished Avatar Kuruk by not performing his duties as Avatar by stealing the face of his lover. The Avatar now is not been keeping the world in balance, as you can see by me, a mortal, being able to traverse to the spirit world freely. The Avatar is supposed to be the bridge between the spirit world and the human world, yet here I am, not the Avatar."

"So then why don't I just steal his lover's face?"

"He's fifteen, he doesn't have a lover. And besides, this act would send a much broader message, a separating of the worlds, of how it should be."  
"I'll give you that you have some courage, coming here. But that does not excuse the fact that a mortal is asking a spirit for the spirit's obedience. There is no haggling. I am the law, and you will abide by it!"

"I am not asking you to obey. I'm asking you to consider the offer that I bring to the table. I want to separate the worlds. I don't want to insult you. But that is exactly what humans are doing everyday. Insulting you. That I am here only furthers that statement."

"I hate it that you are standing in front of me."

"Then send me back, but punish mortals, like me, by dishonoring you."

Koh's face changed again to the cruel man, and shouted. Komodo was surrounded by a white light, and then opened his eyes. He was standing in the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, surrounded by the Green Standard.

He sat up slowly, holding his head. The army silently stared at him.

"Koh is angry. That will work in our favor."


	3. The Avatar and the Firelord

Aang was already mounting Appa when Zuko came out. "I've called the troops to load up the fleet. The Fire Nation Army should be en route by morning for the North Pole. I understand that is where the Green Standard will be headed next from what you said."

Aang sighed. "That's what I guess. They're either going to the Pole or to the Sun Warriors' Temple. And I think that if they go for the temples first, then your army will be useless anyway. They will take away their ability to firebend if they kill the last dragons."

Zuko smiled. "Yes, while it would be a blow, the army has gone through a rigorous hand-to-hand combat training with weapons, provided by the great master Piandao. I think you might have met him once."

"Yes, I did, when I was in the Fire Nation for the first time. He trained a friend of mine, and he's also a member of the White Lotus."

Zuko asked, "The inverse of the Green Standard?"

"More or less. They are the yin to the Green Standard's yang. They are connected, spiritually, to each other, yet they despise one another. The difference between the two is their beliefs in the practice of bending, where one believes it is necessary, and one abhors it. But they still are two separate sides of the same coin, joined by what they are fighting for."

"Coincidences surround you, Aang. This world isn't nearly as big as I once thought it was."

"That's what worries me."

Zuko threw his pack on Appa's saddle, and with a yip-yip, the Avatar and the Firelord were whisked into the sky.

* * *

Zuko woke up with icicles attached to the end of his nose. He scoffed, and blew hot steam from his nostrils, melting the ice that clung to them. He shivered. "Why is it so cold?"

Aang looked back at him from his perch on the flying bison's neck. "We're really high up. The air is thinner, and Appa can travel faster up here."

"I guess whatever gets us there faster…" Zuko muttered between chattering teeth.

"How've you been, Zuko? I mean, before all this?" asked Aang.

"Things were going great. I mean, I thought it was. I declared that supplies be sent out constantly to the other nations to help out with the relief effort. We've converted some of our navy ships for the effort. Our manufacturing processes are increasing dramatically. We've even created some new metals by combining other ones together. We're on the brink of industrial outbreak. I can even one day see whole cities sprouting up in the Fire Nation made entirely of metal, rising into the sky."

"Wow, that sounds impressive."

"And I got married to Mai seven months ago."

"Zuko that's great! Congratulations! Any plans for a prince?"

"There's always plans for a prince. Or a princess. Maybe when things settle down. The Three Nations Union occupies most of my time now. What about you, Aang?"

Aang tone went serious. "I've been mostly in seclusion these last two years. I was contacted by Roku then and warned about the Green Standard. I've traveled the world looking for Wan Shi Tong's Library. We found it once before, but it was buried in the sands of the Great Desert afterwards. I tried finding it, but couldn't. After a year of searching, I finally found it, and entered. Wan Shi Tong, the knowledge spirit, let me peruse the information in his library, where I pieced together the relationship between the spirit animals and the art of bending."

"You never told me before what you were looking for. If I had known, I would've provided all of the Fire Nation's resources to help you find this library."

"I had to do it on my own," said Aang. "It was the Avatar's duty."

"Looking in the desert for a library kept you awfully busy. You and Katara still together then?"

Aang looked down. "I haven't seen her for a long time. And we were never together; it was just a puppy love. We were both so young, still are. But she probably doesn't remotely remember me anymore."

"The world has changed so much. But I believe that the feelings that you both had for one another is unwavering. If ever you come to meet again, I hope that you will not let those feelings subside. Love is not naïve."

Aang sighed. "If I wasn't the Avatar, I'd fly Appa down to the South Pole right this instant."

Zuko studied Aang's face. He imagined the Avatar weighted down, worry lines creeping across his face, a perpetual frown set on his jaw. His respect for the fifteen-year-old doubled in that moment.

Aang broke the silence. "We both should get some rest. I'll stay on watch for a little while longer. I'll wake you when you can take over. From what I saw in Ba Sing Se, we have a monster of a fight waiting for us."


End file.
